Filter and pulsator fuel pumps



Sept. 29, 1,970y c. F. PHILLIPS 3,530,991v

A FILTER AND PULsA'roR FUEL PUMPs' original Filed July 2o. 196s f 2 sheegs'sheetl j Oo 50% 0o 37 lg VO /oa OO.

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76 Y l Y INVENTOR y 4 CMWE E P//ML/PJ 9o. 7' 'n l l' I ATTORNEY e Sat. 29, 1910 eeeHlLLiee 3,530,991

ginal Filed July 2o, 196s 2 sheets sheet 2 (CA s /NG ONLY) United States Patent O 3,530,991 FILTER AND PULSATOR FUEL PUMPS Claude F. Phillips, Fairfield, Ill., assiguor to Airtex Products, Division of United Industrial Syndicate, New

York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Continuation of application Ser. No. 566,504, July 20,

1966. This application May 29, 1969, Ser. No. 833,856 Int. Cl. B01d 35/26 U.S.y Cl. 210-349 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to fuel pumps and more particularly to fuel pumps having pulsator chambers and filter chambers and being of compact and simple construction and high efficiency in pumping performance and one which can be easily assembled or disassembled for repair purposes. The structure contemplates a combination of elements wherein a pulsator chamber is provided for a fuel pump inlet in combination with a filter of cornrnercial material having a pleated construction. The efiiciency of the pump is enhanced by use of a restricted opening between the inlet passage and a pulsator chamber. An outlet pulsator chamber is provided which is effected Aby enlargement of the filter chamber, either in the pump 'body casting or by provision of a domed closure cover over the filter chamber.

This patent application is a continuation for abandoned application, Ser. No. 566,504, filed July 20, 1966.

The objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the description to follow taken in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional elevation of one form of the invenion wherein the filter is in the lower part of the Pump;

FIG. 2. is a section through 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevation in section taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial elevation in section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional elevation through the fuel casting in upright position;

FIG. `6 is a plan view looking upwardly at FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view looking downwardly at FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an elevation of a filter element;

FIG. 9 is a plan View of a filter element;

Referring now to the form shown in FIGS. 1 through 9, the invention comprises a fuel pump lever body or base casting 10 and main body or fuel casting 12 bolted together as by bolts 15, in the usual manner. Interposed between the castings is the marginal area of a pumping diaphragm 20 which serevs as a gasket between the castings and particularly as a seal for an inlet pulsator chamber 24 at the top thereof. The inlet pulsator chamber is part of the fuel casting and connects at its lower end with the inlet port 37 which in turn communicates with a channel 30 leading to the inlet valve chamber 33 which holds the inlet valve 36.

The restricted opening 37 at the lower end of pulsator chamber 24 has an advantageous effect, in that it reduces the tendency of the iiowing fuel to suck air out of chamber 24 and yet allows the fuel to enter that chamber to trap air in it. The restricted port 37 thus adds materially to the performance of the pump since it permits air to be trapped in chamber 24 but retards wash out of air from the chamber. The flow area of port 37 is much less than the entry flow area of chamber 24, considering the crosssection of the chamber in a plane generally normal to the plane of the port. Thus, the area of port 37 may be only 3,530,991 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 ICCv 10%-25% of the horizontal cross sectional area of the chamber 24, and the effectiveness of pulsator action can be determined by port area variation for different types of pumps. The same principle can be used for an outlet pulsator chamber.

Inlet valve 36 controls fuel .flow to the pump chamber 40 connecting to the outlet valve chamber 43 having outlet valve 46. The outlet valve chamber communicates through a port 50 in a transverse wall 53 with the filter chamber 57. The wall 53 serves to demarcate the fuel casting in two sections separating the inlet passage 30 from an outlet passage 60. The wall has a central hu-b V63 -which is bored or cast at 66 so as to communicate through the hollow inerior of the hub for fuel passage from the hollow interior of a filter 70 to outlet passage 60. The filter 70 is a cylindrical type filter having pleats (FIG. 8) and a hollow interior 72 (as shown in FIG. l) with integrally molded ends of plastic, rubber, etc. such as 73 and 76.

The filter 70 may also have end caps of metal or hard paper secured by cementing. However, by using molded end caps of suitable material such end caps serve as seals and there is no need for additional grommets or fibrous washers or the like. The upper disc 73 is apertured so as to fit snugly against shoulder 77 formed on the exterior of the hub l63 thus effecting a seal and helping to center the filter element. An end cap 83 clamps the disc end 76 to the fuel casting by means of through bolt 86 wherein the end disc 76 effects suitable sealing, further sealing being by a gasket as shown.

Ihe diaphragm 20 is actuated in the usual manner as by a stem, lever arm and spring as shown in FIG. 1 which actuating mechanism is very well known and conventional.

The depth and contour of the valve chambers permit air to be trapped around them so as to serve as an outlet airdrome in the region 93 (FIG. 3). This effects a large airdome. The arrows shown in IFIGS. 1, 3, and 4 indicate the fuel fiow through the pump and filter from inlet to outlet, for this modification.

A peculiar effect of the filter, located downstream of the outlet valve is that it can trap air from the fuel and thus in effect also serves as a pulsator. The particular kind of filter material used which has been observed as having this effect is impregnated yfilter paper having from 5 to 46 micron filtering capabilities for gasoline or other fuels.

In order to provide for compactness of construction, the pleated cylindrically shaped filter is provided with a longgitudinal V notch 10-3 which accommodates the inwardly extending inlet channel 30 and thus conserving space. It will be noted (FIG. 9) that the upper end disc 73 is provided with a notch 106 to accommodate channel 30 and inlet pulsator chamber 24 (FIG. 1).

I claim:

1. A fuel pump comprising a lever base (10), a fuel body (12) having a pump chamber, a pumping diaphragm l(20) between said bodies,-said fuel body having an inlet port (27) extending thereinto and having an inlet pulsator chamber (24) communicating with an inlet valve chamber (33), and an outlet valve chamber (43) in said fuel body, said pump chamber being closed by said pumping diaphragm, an inlet fuel passage (30) communicating with said inlet port and with said inlet valve chamber (33), said fuel body having a filter chamber (57) for accommodating a filter element; a filter element (70) in said filter chamber, an outlet valve chamber (43) communicating with said filter chamber, said fuel body having a |hollow hub (63) and having an outlet passage (60) communicating with the hollow interior of said hub, saidfilter element having a hollow interior (72) communicating with said hollow hub, and passage means (50) whereby fuel from said outlet valve chamber (43) communicates with the exterior of said dilter element for passage therethroughto the hollow interior thereof andY thence through said outlet passage (60) via said hollow hub, said filter chamber being extended upwardly partially around said valve chambers to effect an airdrome (93) above said filter element, and means for securing said ilter element below said airdome.

2. A fuel pump comprising a lever base (10), a fuel body (12) a pumping diaphragm (20) therebte'ween, said fuel body having an inlet port (27) extending thereinto and having an inlet passage means (24, 30') comprising a pulsator chamber (24) communicating transversely with said inlet port and extending upwardly therefrom and said inlet passage further comprising a fuel passage (30), j

a pump chamber (40) in said fuel body communicating with an inlet valve chamber (33) and with an outlet valve chamber (43) in said fuel body, said pump chamber being closed by said pumping diaphragm, said fuel body having a chamber for accommodating a filter element (70) in said fuel body, said outlet valve chamber communicating with said filter chamber, said fuel body having a hollow hub (63), an outlet port (60) communicating with the hollow interior of said hub, said filter element having a hollow interior communicating with said hollow hub and passage means whereby fuel from said outlet valve chamber communicates with the exterior of said iilter element for passage therethrough to the hollow interior thereof and thence through said outlet port via said hollow hub, said iilter element being comprised of a plurality of tiilter material pleats with a spacing between a pair of said pleats, said filter element being positioned adjacent said inlet passage means with a portion of said inlet passage means nestled within said spacing between the pleats. v 3. A fuel pump as set forth in claim 2, including a passageway (37) between said inlet port (27) and said pulsator chamber (24); said passageway being of substantially restricted iiow area no more than 25 percent of the cross sectional area of said pulsator chamber in a plane transverse to the direction of iow of fuel through Vsaid port.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,308,041 1/ 1943 Babitch et al. 103-224 2,405,466 8/1946y Tabb 103-224 X 2,793,594 5/ 1957 Gonclaves 103-224 X 3,071,251 1/ 1963 lSzwargulski 210-349 3,082,875 3/1963 Korte 210-416 3,254,769 6/1966 McArthur 210-416 X JAMES L. DE CESARE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

